U.S. Forest Service: Wood Innovations Program

Deadline: January 23, 2019

The Wood Innovations Program seeks to expand and accelerate wood energy and wood products markets throughout the United States to support forest management needs on National Forest System and other forest lands.

Funding will focus on the following priorities to:

Reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health on National Forest System and other forest lands

Reduce costs of forest management on all land types

Promote economic and environmental health of communities

Projects can include, but are not limited to:

Completing requirements, such as engineering designs, cost analyses, and permitting necessary in the final stages of commercial construction projects that use wood as a primary building material; and later stages of wood energy project development to secure financing. Early phase project development proposals will not be competitive.

Developing manufacturing capacity and markets for wood products that support forest ecosystem restoration.

Showcasing quantifiable environmental and economic benefits of using wood as a green building material in an actual commercial building and the projected benefits achieved if replicated across the United States based on commercial construction market trends.

Establishing statewide wood utilization teams and statewide wood energy teams. Only proposals from states without an existing (or former) team will be considered.

Developing a cluster of wood energy projects in a geographic area or specific sector (e.g., prisons, hospitals, universities, manufacturing sector, or industrial sector).

Amount: An anticipated $8,000,000 will be awarded. The maximum for each award is generally $250,000; however, the Forest Service may consider awarding more to a proposal that shows significant impact, closely aligns with program goals, and yields significant hazardous fuels reduction in a timely manner. Awards are typically 2 to 3 years in length.